ISTE Standard 1

ISTE Standard 1 - Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity

Indicator b - Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources

            I recently came across an idea to try and get my students to be more involved in learning about how the people in high levels of government make important decisions that affect the lives of Americans.  As we are working through our discussions about WWII, I have the students use resources related to Harry Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan at the end of the war.  Through the collection of these resources students are required to document what they have found and use the information as if they were the President of the United States and had to make the decision themselves.   After they have collected their information, students will use a webcam to tape an address to the American people outlining the reason for either dropping the atomic bomb or not.  Students will be required to turn in a draft of the script they are going to use and a final video.  If the students desire, they will be able to present them to the entire class.

Description

            Throughout the project the students were engaged in searching for information needed to make a very important decision, which would change the world forever.  Many of the students were excited to put themselves in the shoes of the President of the United Stated at the end for World War II.   There were any discussions within the classroom about the right way to handle the situation, students on both sides of the issue were, at times, pretty passionate about the stance they had chosen.  Many of the students were forced to confront some of the differing ideas and opinions of other students in the room, it was a good experience overall.  Students used many primary sources that we were able to find online via the Truman Library.  They found diary entries, personal notes and telegrams the President sent and received over the course of the war.

Analysis

            When I was setting up this project I thought it would be a great mix of learning and technology.  The use of the screen casting to create videos presentations gets the kids involved with some technology they don’t use on a regular basis. I also really liked the fact that they were able to have access to primary sources through the Truman Library website, many of the students are comfortable using google to find information, but fining and using quality primary sources is sometime difficult for them.  This assignment gave them the opportunity to develop and refine some skills they are not used to using.   Having them put themselves in the shoes of President Harry Truman while making the choice of whether or not to drop the atomic bomb, made the students tackle some of the toughest real world issues we have faced in our history.  There were several factors that lead to the final decision and it was important for the students to use the resources they have to make a choice on their own.

Reflection

            Having students take a look at a real issue and making an informed decision while engaging in different discussions is important to me.  The students were engaged for the most part throughout the lesson and had a good time finding the information on there own.  I do think that if I had to to it over again I may need to provide a little more direction on what information is important and what information was not.  I noticed a lot of time was spent on some things that were not pertinent to the topic at hand.  The struggle was the balance of letting them figure it out on their own and making sure they were going to be able to finish the research on time.  One of the things I was unsure about going in was having the students produce a script or speech to the American people, in the end  I thought they did a great job of creating them and assuming the role of the president.  Overall I think the presentation and lesson went over well, I will just need to make a few tweaks and maybe add a little more class discussion time in the future.